Dagger
Pronunciation
- UK IPA: /ˈdægə(ɹ)/
- Rhymes: -æɡə(r)
Origin 1
Probably from Old French dague (1229), related to Occitan, Italian, Spanish daga, German Degen, Middle Low German dagge ("knife's point"), Old Norse daggardr, Welsh dager, dagr, Breton dac, Albanian thikë ("a knife, dagger"), thek ("to stab, to pierce with a sharp object").
In English attested from the 1380s.
The ultimate origin of the word is unclear. Grimm
suspects Celtic origin.
Others have suggested derivation from an unattested Vulgar Latin *daca "Dacian knife", from the Latin adjective dÄcus
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dacia
. Chastelain (Dictionaire etymologique, 1750) thought that French dague was a derivation from German dagge, dagen, although not attested until a much later date).
The knightly dagger evolves from the 12th century. Guillaume le Breton (died 1226) uses daca in his Philippide. Other Middle Latin forms include daga, dagga, dagha, dagger, daggerius, daggerium, dagarium, dagarius, diga
http://ducange.enc.sorbonne.fr/DAGGER
the forms with -r- are late 14th century adoptions of the English word).
OED points out that there is also an English verb dag ("to stab") from which this could be a derivation, but the verb is attested only from about 1400.
Relation to Old Armenian Õ¤Õ¡Õ¯Õ¸Ö‚ (daku, "adze, axe") has also been suggested
xcl:Martirosyan|page=232
.
Full definition of dagger
Noun
dagger
(plural daggers)- (weapon) A stabbing weapon, similar to a sword but with a short, double-edged blade.
- Shakespeare Wives, Act I, Scene I, line 282.I bruised my shin th’ other day with playing at sword and dagger with a master of fence; ...
- 1786, Francis Grose, A Treatise on Ancient Armour and Weapons, page 34.The dagger, under the title cultellum and misericorde, has been the constant companion of the sword, at least from the days of Edward I. and is mentioned in the statute of Winchester.
- The text character †; the obelus.
Synonyms
Verb
- To pierce with a dagger; to stab.
Origin 2
Perhaps from diagonal.